


Once Upon A Miraculous

by adifferentshadeofgrey



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 10:57:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adifferentshadeofgrey/pseuds/adifferentshadeofgrey
Summary: The Anastasia AU that nobody asked for but I'm gonna write anyways.We arrive three years later after Ladybug goes missing in Italy while trying to discover the identity of Hawkmoth. Now the once strong villain has disappeared altogether and the super heroine of Paris is no more than a myth. Or is she?





	Once Upon A Miraculous

* * *

 

_3 Years Ago in Milan_

* * *

 

Ladybug and Chat sat in an alcove of the Duomo di Milano, hidden from view of the passerbys below. The two were quiet, the only sound from the pigeons nestled in burrows above them along with the sounds of their own breathing. The city was still, and the duo knew they had an incredibly important job to do. 

Master Fu had found a clue to the identity of Hawkmoth, however the man kept his knowledge from his heroes, only giving them a pair of train tickets and bidding the two  _adieu_. They knew the time and place, but what they'd find, they had no clue. 

The train had been uneventful, both parties traveling in separate cars to ensure the safety of their identities. The tantalizing pull to walk through the caboose and finally see his lady face to face was almost all too much for Adrien to bear, and yet somehow he managed to hold back. When the train pulled into Milan after a day of travel, the two met under a clock tower, cloaks disguising their supersuits in the streets of Italy. Stealth was the key to this mission. If even one breath of recognition came, Hawkmoth would surely flee. 

And so the two sat upon the haunches of the Duomo, waiting in silence for the man that had caused so much grief for so many people. 

As the sun began to set, a stranger approached the doors, covered in a black cloak with a hat to shade his face. The duo felt a rush of energy, this could be the man. They watched as he hobbled with a planned gait up the steps towards the entrance below. A flash of purple circled around his head as what Ladybug knew to be his kwami, Nooroo. Master Fu had been right. But why had Hawkmoth come here?

Once the man disappeared into the building, the super heroes vaulted up into an entrance in the eaves, sneaking into the rafters of the church. 

The man found his way to a hallway, deserted of all light. A flash of purple designated that the man had transformed. He was either aware of their presence or anticipating to meet someone. 

The duo waited to see which fate awaited them.  

Within minutes, footsteps echoed against the marble floor as a woman with flowing brown hair met the man below. She held out a book as ancient as the structure it seemed, whispering in low tones. Then reaching into her bag, an oblong relic was unsheathed, decorated in ornate gold. The woman held a hand out to which Hawkmoth set a small blue brooch in her palm. 

Ladybug unconsciously gasped. It looked like the Peacock miraculous from the book Master Fu had shown her. 

Below, the sinister duo froze, looking to the shadows. They'd heard her. The heroes above prayed that the shadows would continue to shroud them as they watched.

The woman looked around for a minute, waiting for trouble to arise, however when nothing came, she continued on. Pinning the brooch to the relic, a pulsing blue light ignited within the glass and blue smoke swirled around the woman's hand where she held the thing. Passing it off to Hawkmoth, a flash of purple erupted in the glass and white butterflies seemed to flock to the relic, turning a light purple, wrapped in smoke. 

Chat and Ladybug looked at each other. This spelled trouble and a silent agreement between the two launched the heroes into action. It was now or never. 

Ladybug swung down, aiming for the relic as Chat catapulted towards the woman. Hawkmoth himself swung around and held the relic up, releasing a pulsing purple light that sent Ladybug flying back into a marble pillar.  

With a resounding thud, the girl felt a pain in her back, but ignored it. This wasn't the time to worry about simple injuries. She had a job to do. 

Launching her yo-yo forward, she aimed for the relic one again, this time wrapping around the thing. But Hawkmoth just grinned a sinister grin and the smoke traveled up the yo-yo string like electricity, zapping Ladybug.

Chat was currently fending off the woman below who was trying to make a break for the door. She seemed to be much quicker than anticipated, ducking between pillars and passageways that the boy was unaware of, already halfway to the exit. However he managed to catapult over her blocking her next route as Ladybug began to scream in agony. 

The woman grinned. "You'd better choose quickly, Gattino."

Looking between her and the glowing purple light from down the hallway, Chat sidestepped to let the woman pass and began to bound towards the sound of his partner. 

Hawkmoth was standing above her as she fell to her knees in pain, doubled over with body shaking screams. Hawkmoth had his hand poised to grab her earrings, but Chat extended his baton to hit the man directly in the back, sending him flying, ending the purple smoke around his Lady. 

A quick survey of the scene suggested that Hawkmoth was outnumbered and the man turned on his heel, running with his new object.

Chat bent down to help his lady up, grabbing her arm but she pushed him off, breathing heavily. "I'm fine. Let's go before we lose him."

The group were darting over buildings, barely keeping out of each others reach for what seemed like forever until they neared the edge of the Naviglio Grande. Standing at the edge of the bridge, Hawkmoth whipped around holding his relic as a blast of light surged forward blowing the heroes back once again. Chat was the first to his feet, charging at the man with his baton, clashing metal against Hawkmoths own cane, now raised to shield from the blow. 

The two began to quarrel, one strike after another, a fencing match unlike any other Chat had been apart of aside from an akuma ages ago. However one misstep and Chat was plunging into the water below. As the boy swam to the shore, he noticed his lady above, now attacking the man. Only her previous injuries had fogged her brain with pain and the heroine accidently misstepped allowing a resounding blow from the cane to hit her head. She stumbled back, blood gushing from an unseen wound as Hawkmoth approached once again. She was too weak to move much at all, not that it would help in that moment as her vision had gone hazy.  A sound in her ears began to roar. The masked villain reached a hand down and snatched one earring, causing her transformation to begin peeling away as a baton struck the man across the head. Ladybug tried to pay attention to the fight at hand but her head was screaming with the air of danger. She needed to get out of there right now or she wouldn't be able to defend herself. 

Pushing to her feet on the bridge, she stumbled back to the railing, holding herself up. She watched as her vision doubled, seeing two Chats and two Hawkmoths battled over something in the villain's hand. One last blast of purple smacked into the girl sending her spiraling over the only thing holding her up, crashing into a dark cold raging pool of water. 

Was she flying? She wasn't sure. The darkness of the water clouded her judgement as she began to realize she didn't know where she was anymore. All she knew was that she wanted to sleep.

* * *

 

_3 Years Later; The Present (Paris)_

* * *

 

Adrien sat in his room, shrouded in darkness. He never opened his blinds anymore as his new apartment overlooked the rooftops of Paris, reminding him of a life he'd once lived. A life he couldn't forget no matter how hard he'd tried. 

Following the disappearance of his partner in Milan, the boy was left to fight akumas on his own. However after the first few fights, it seemed Hawkmoth had all but disappeared. Without Ladybug around the man seemed to lose his desire to acquire the Miraculouses. Without a working Ladybug Miraculous, his plan to get a wish was ruined by fate itself. 

The city of Paris fell into dark times with crime on the rise as Chat Noir seemed to vanish as well, only appearing for news of Ladybug. Everyone was aware that something was wrong but only the masked citizens truly knew of the fate that Ladybug met that night in Milan.

Rumors spread quickly from Milan that Ladybug had died after the fight at the Naviglio, however when she never resurfaced, rumors became hard accepted facts. By the second year, new rumors began to spread that Ladybug had escaped the river that night and retired to her family after several sightings of women who looked like the heroine. But even the most hopeful knew they were only rumors. It seemed the only one who wanted to believe in them was Chat Noir himself. 

And surrounded by newspaper clippings and leads lining his bedroom walls, you'd think the boy would have had an inkling of the truth behind her disappearance, and yet even his strongest lead would only turn to dust upon investigation. 

Adrien fell victim to a bout of guilt and depression that scared the always fearless Plagg. Camembert would pile up on Adrien's desk as Plagg tried to raise his holder's spirit, but even generosity could not help the boy's broken heart. 

He graduated from Lyceè that spring but even school could not help his mind find solace as one of his classmates had to pull out due to extreme sickness. Marinette, a long time friend, all but disappeared. Her parents turned away visitors and refused to answer any of their questions other than that Marinette was sick and in hospital outside the country (a specialty hospital for a serious case). And over time, it became accepted as part of life, many classmates moving on to Universities or jobs that occupied their minds. 

Following the accident, Master Fu sought out the Dupain-Chengs to reveal the secret their daughter held so closely and the news (or the absence of it) destroyed the loving parents. Their hope dwindled as days progressed on and soon had to give way to thought that perhaps their daughter really had died. They didn't lose all hope however and kept the lie they'd constructed alive in case their daughter ever returned home. They'd promised the guardian as such. However they couldn't bear to lie to Marinette's closest friends and adopted a life of reclusion, closing the bakery for the time being. Traveling to Milan to personally search every stone or lead, they played every part of the doting parent as far as the citizens of Paris were concerned. 

Gabriel Agreste himself seemed upset over the loss of the hero after seeing his own son seem to give up hope and thus began a foundation to offer a reward for any tip on the missing superhero. 

It seemed everyone in Paris was doing their part to help, and yet none of it helped at all. 

It was as if the Princess of Paris just ceased to exist. 

In time, Adrien began to make secret trips with his friend Nino in hopes to find the missing heroine, explaining to his long time friend that he just wanted Paris to return to normal, never fully divulging his secret identity. The duo held auditions calling for lookalikes in hopes of one day discovering the truth or even a clue to the girl's absence. But when nothing turned up, the two began to think all hope was lost. 

* * *

 

_Present Day; Pavia, Italy_

* * *

 

In the small Province of Pavia, a river brings life to many simple farmers and botanists. When a woman was taken in by the locals with severe head trauma, they thought she'd never recover. A fisherman had noticed the girl washed up on a shore hidden by brush, clinging to a rock as if her life depended on it over 3 years ago. The local healers did their best to save her any way they could, but even with their help, the girl was in rough shape. The outside was fixed but the inside seemed broken. Once awaking after a week of rest, the beauty couldn't remember her name or speak a lick of Italian. In fact she didn't speak at all. A farmer volunteered to take the girl in at his countryside farm if the girl would work, and work she did. Stepping in for the family's late mother, the dark haired mystery would cook and clean with the children, helping with homework anyway she could. She became a big sister and along the way learned Italian, beginning to speak little by little, soon making jokes over dinner that caused cacophonous laughter throughout the tiny house. 

As the girl grew stronger she helped to milk the cows and to carry water from a nearby well. She tended to the garden and baked as if she had a natural gift for it. 

Loretta, they named her after the legend of the Angels carrying the Virgin Mary's home down from Nazareth to the Italian Town of Loreto, the farmer's home town. Some said that the name truly meant miraculous, and the family agreed that she was. A miracle sent to help a home that was broken after tragedy. A lucky charm if you will. However three years passed as quickly as Autumn turns to Winter and the farmer came to Loretta one night.

"There are not enough words in the word for me to express my gratitude for what you've given me my family. You've brought Light into a place that only knew Darkness for quite some time. But I must ask you to leave us now, Loretta."

The girl sat silently at the table. She could hear the children upstairs giggling as they played a game before bed. She couldn't imagine leaving.

"Might I ask why?" She asked as tears sprung forward from her eyes.

The kind old farmer held out a silk hanker-chief. "I would keep you here forever, passerotta, but that's the issue. I think you'd stay here forever if I let you, there's a whole world out there waiting for you."

The man stood up and walked to the cupboards to pull a small box from behind a bunch of other trinkets before rejoining her at the table. He pulled the lid off and pulled a wrapped hanker-chief out along with a paper. "I know you worry, but there are people waiting for you out there, I just know it."

Loretta held her hand out as the man passed a single earring wrapped up in the silk to her. She spun the metal tack in her hand and sighed. Her clothes were ruined with blood when they found her, leaving her possession-less except for the lone earring they could salvage and a paper the farmer had sitting in front of him. Weathered from time and water damage, the paper was all but destroyed except for the piece that read her route to Italy was from Paris. The only two pieces that linked her to a life from before the amnesia. 

"Passerotta, I know there's a family out there looking for you. If I ever lost any of my Patatinos I would go mad with sickness until I found them again."

A surge of anger flowed through the brunette. "And what if my family doesn't care? What if they're the reason I am here? I've been here three years and no one has come to look for me. I found a new family that loves me. I can't just leave this all behind."

He laid a weathered hand on her own. "And if that's true, little sparrow, that your family could bear to lose you and move on, you are always welcome to fly back home. But it's been three years. You need to at least try and find your life from before. You can't live a comfortable life under the shadow of anger and doubt. I should know. Please." He reaches into his leather coat and pulls out a wad of paper notes. "This is everything the village could raise for you. It's not much. But we want to help you on your way after all the work you've done here. This should get you to Milan. It's enough to buy a ticket and for food. Go to Paris. Find your home, and if it's a dead end, come back."

Loretta held the man's hand in silence for what seemed like ages. "Nonnino, how can I ever repay you for all you've done?"

He smiled a toothy grin, "You've already done more than I could ever ask of anybody."

That night, the girl laid in bed pondering the city she'd been resenting for so long. Maybe her caretaker was right. Maybe it was the best shot she had. 

* * *

 

Several days later, the girl was packed up with a single parcel that held her cash and her earring. She wore a long jacket, a gift from the farmer, and had packed a pair of gloves for the road. 

The children she'd been an older sister for for so long lined up before ambushing her with a heartbreaking hug. 

"Loretta, I want to give you this." Giulia, the youngest girl held out a long golden locket. "For good luck. If you open it like this, you can put your earring in here for safe keeping."

She popped the clasp and took the single possession the girl had pinned to the jacket and locked it tight before she slid the necklace over her head. The gesture brought tears to Loretta's eyes and she spared an extra hug for the kind young girl. "'I'll keep it close, always."

As she said her final goodbyes, the girl began her journey down the dirt road she'd been brought home in so many years ago. She couldn't believe she was saying goodbye, but her Nonnino was right. It was time for her to fly. 

The girl's journey lasted several days, catching rides on wagon's or in the rare case, with a car down the country backroads as far as they would take her. When she reached Milan on an early saturday morning, she was overwhelmed by the large skyline and bustling streets.

Arriving at the train depot, she found a teller.

"Hi, I'd like to buy a ticket to Paris."

"Travel papers please." The teller seemed agitated.

"Um," The girl looked into her purse and pulled out the water ruined ticket from years ago. "Here's the thing. I don't have papers with me but I have-"

"No papers? No ticket. Next!" When the girl didn't leave, the teller dropped a shade on his window. 

Taken aback by his rude nature, she turned on her foot ready to find someone else who could help her. But a woman sitting on one of the nearby benches motioned for her to approach. 

Sitting next to the little old lady, she watched as the woman took in her appearance. "Che bella... If you need to get to Paris, seek out Adrien. He's been holding auditions near the old Naviglio Grande at an abandoned jazz club. Find him and tell him you need passage to Paris."

When Loretta stood shocked, the woman began to shoo her, "Go, go! But you didn't hear it from me."

Making her way across the city once again, the girl found herself standing at the canal. A black cat lay lounged on the wall overlooking the water. "How comfortable you look, Gattino." The cat arched it's back before rubbing up against the girl's arms, asking for attention. "You're a stray aren't you?" The girl asked as she scratched the kitty all over. 

"That makes two of us. You can come with me if you want. Us strays have to stick together after all." The loud purring coming from the creature promised loyalty as it jumped down to follow the now walking girl. "I think I'll call you Chat."

She wasn't sure why that name felt right, but it did.

The pair continued across the Naviglio, winding down an alleyway where Loretta knew the abandoned tavern to be. Standing in front of a once glorious theatre club, she took in the boards covering the doorways and sighed. "I guess we're out of luck Chaton." The girl called to the curious cat who seemed to be scratching at the boards. However after the board began to wiggle the cat managed to squeeze between the opening. "Chat!" Loretta hissed. 

The girl ran to the door, hoping to coax the cat out of the club only to find that the boards could move just enough to let someone sneak in through a hole in the wall. Pushing past the entrance, the girl found herself winding down a hallway that opened into a large foyer decorated lavishly with stained glass and marble. "Che mareviglia," The girl breathed. 

"It looks like the Duomo, doesn't it Gattino?" The girl called as she ran a hand over a painting. She wasn't sure how she knew what the Duomo looked like, she couldn't recall ever having been there, but somehow she knew that's what this place was meant to be. "It feels almost like a dream doesn't it? A very distant dream..."

The girl began to feel a pounding in her head forcing her to her knees before holding her hands up to notice she was clammy with sweat. The cat began to circle her, meowing. The room seemed to spin and lights began to blur. She could almost hear the roaring of dark cold water and a vision of a man in a mask sent her flying back onto her haunches. 

A crash from a nearby hallway sounded, as footsteps neared. "Hey! What are you doing in here?" 

The girl, still disoriented, pushed herself to her feet, running without sparing a look to the men whom entered the room from behind. She needed to get out of there right then or she feared she'd be in bigger trouble. Bounding towards one of the exits, she heard the footsteps behind her pick up.

"Wait! Stop!"

The voice of one of the men made her head pound harder. It was almost as if she recognized it. But no, it couldn't be. So she kept running. 

" _Please_ , wait!" A second voice echoed.

Finally the headache broke into a full blown migraine as memories tried to surge forward, sending the girl crashing to her knees once again, sprawled across the floor. 

A hand wrapped around one of her arms, pulling her back up.

"Why are you-" A blonde boy was trying to catch his breath from the chase. "Why are you.. running..."

An olive skinned man stood with his glasses perched upon his head behind him.

"Now how did you get in here...?" The blonde's face fell as he took in the girl's appearance. 

The girl shrugged, as if looking for an answer blindly.

The blonde leaned into his friend. "Nino. Do you see what I see?"

"What? No-" The blonde pushed his friend's glasses down from their resting position so that the boy could once again see clearly, causing a gasp to erupt from him. "Yes!" 

"Are you Adrien?" The girl's tone was slightly annoyed.

His face was a mess of emotions but upon hearing the name, his eyes flashed. He began to circle her as she took a breath to speak again. "Perhaps, but that all depends on who is looking for him." 

"My name's Loretta and I need to get to Paris but I don't have papers. I was told you were the man to see even though I can't tell you who said it. I don't - Hey what - What are you- What - Er- were you a vulture in another life?" She smacked the man's hand away as he lifted a strand of hair to inspect it. 

"Hey, I- Huh I'm sorry- Loren-" He backed away.

"It's Loretta-"

"Loretta- It's just you look an awful lot like-"

"Loretta-" She repeated for emphasis.

"You know what? Nevermind." He waved his hands. "You said something about travel papers?"

Adrien pulled Nino forward with a grin while Chat circled at their feet.

"Uh, yes. I'd like to go to Paris."

"You'd like to go to Paris?" Loretta shared a look with the blonde at his overeager attitude. 

"Oh, look at this little guy," Nino bent down to pick up a purring Chat, fully lost to the conversation. 

"Let me ask you something, Loretta? Was it? Is there a last name to go with that?"

The girl sighed and rubbed her head. "I know this is going to sound crazy but I don't know my last name. I was in an accident three years ago and I lost most of my memories."

"And before that? Before the accident?" The boy seemed too invested in her story all at once.

"Look, I know it's strange- But I don't remember. I have very few memories of my past." The girl began to twirl the locket she'd been given, a nervous habit. 

"Hm, that's- perfect..." He trailed off. 

"Well I do have one clue, however, and that's Paris."

"Paris?" He turned towards her again.

"Right. So- So can you help me or not?"

The blonde motioned for her to wait a moment while he walked towards his entranced friend. "Nino," Recognizing his friend would be of no help, he turned back towards the girl once again. "Sure would like to help, as it happens, we're going to Paris ourselves. And fortunately I've got three tickets here. Unfortunately the third one is for her. Ladybug." 

Adrien gestured to an old poster of a masked heroine hanging on one of the pillars of the once lively jazz bar. 

"Oh!" The girl said taking in the poster. She'd of course heard the rumors of the missing hero, everyone had. But it was common knowledge that she'd most likely died after a fight in Milan three years before. 

Nino stepped forward, his attention now on the mysterious girl. "We're going to reunite Ladybug with her partner Chat Noir, savior of Paris-"

"And you  _do_ kind of resemble her," Adrien chimed in. 

"The same blue eyes," Nino sang. 

"The dark flowing hair," Adrien twirled a piece as Loretta swatted his hand away.

"You have the right build, the same height-"

"And not to mention the way she exudes confidence even behind a mask."

"She's the same age and she's in Milan!"

Loretta rolled her eyes and laughed. "Are you trying to say that  _I_ am  _Ladybug_?"

"All I'm saying is that I've been looking for Ladybug all over the country for the past few years, I've met thousands of girls, and not  _one_ of them looks as much like Ladybug as you do. I mean. Look at the picture!" He gestured up at the poster the trio had now come to stand before. 

The girl laughed again. "Alright, I thought you were crazy from the beginning but now I know you're both downright delusional!"

Loretta began to walk away, scooping her cat up as she went, making her way back to the hallway she'd entered from, but Adrien was quick to catch up. "Why? You don't know anything about what happened to you-"

"And nobody knows what happened to her," Nino chimed in. "Ladybug went missing three years ago. Here. In Milan."

"And you say you're looking for answers in Paris. Ladybug was the answer for all of Paris. Have you ever..Thought about..The possibility?" The blonde trailed off as if it should have been the only thing the girl ever questioned. 

"That  _I_ could be a hero?" The two nodded. "Well I don't know. It's kind of hard to think of yourself as a hero when you've been living out of a farm house in the country for the past few years. But sure. Every lonely girl with a jaded past would dream of being something more than what she is, a lost hero." 

"And somewhere, one girl is." Nino laid a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Adrien checked his watch and began to tap his foot. Pulling Nino by the arm, he gave a half-bow to the girl. "Look, I really wish we could help, but the third ticket _is_ for Ladybug. Good luck."

The two began to walk towards the hallway the group had been dancing around for so long while Loretta continued to look on at the poster on the bannister. 

"I really think we're walking away too soon," Nino began in a hushed tone.

"Just wait," Adrien whispered back.

They were met with silence and the sound of their footsteps across the marble as they neared the corridor, Loretta still lost in thought. Her own emotions swirled inside, unsure of what to do about her predicament. Sure, there was a, however slight it may be, possibility that she was indeed the real true Ladybug. And yet it felt impossible to believe that she could be her after all the struggles she had to overcome in the last year. After all, she'd been forced to relearn language and that couldn't have been something the real Ladybug would have had to do. And yet, while taking in the poster, a deep surge from inside whispered that this was in fact her destiny and that she shouldn't let this opportunity slip away. 

"Adrien! Adrien, wait!"

The blonde motioned a silent victory before turning around. "Did you call me?"

"If I don't remember who I am, then whose to say I'm not Ladybug or a hero or whatever she is- right?"

"Mhm. Go on." The blonde feigned a cheeky interest.

"And if I'm not the real Ladybug, Chat Noir will certainly know right away and then it's all just an honest mistake."

"Sounds plausible!"

" _But_ if you _are_ Ladybug, then you'll finally know who you are and have your family back!" Nino continued.

"You know- You know he's right! Either way... It gets you to Paris." The blonde held his hand out.

"You're right!" She shook his with heart. 

* * *

 

In a dark office of Paris, a sleeping kwami was awoken by the swirling purple smoke of a nearby relic. 

"But she's supposed to be dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. She has been for three years." Nooroo called out to the mystical object. 

It continued to glow brighter and chilled the ancient being's bones. 

"Unless... Ladybug is alive? I've got find, Master!"

* * *

 

 


End file.
